Mail-marking machine.



W. D. JONES. MAIL MARKING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAB- I l, I516- RENEWED AUG. 10. I918.

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Patented Dec. 17,1918.

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WILLIAM D. JONES, 0F BROOKLYN, NEVJ YORK, ASSIGNOR TO UNIVERSAL STAMPING MACHINE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK. N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

MAIL-MARKING MACHINE.

Application filed March 17, 1916, Serial No. 84,829.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM D. JONES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Marking Machines; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification.

This invention is a novel improvement in so called mail marking machines for canceling stamps and post marking mail matter, and the present invention has reference to the means whereby the impression roller is yieldingly supported and means for adjusting the normal position of such roller relative to the printing roller or die, so that when a quantity of mail of substantially uniform thickness is to be run through the machine the impression" roller can be quickly set or adjusted so that it will most efiiciently operate on such matter.

In ordinary mail marking machines the impression roller is mounted on a spring by which it is moved toward the printing roller or die, and means are provided for limiting the inward movement of the impression roller, which is normally positioned to act upon the thinnest pieces of mail, 2'. 6. sheets of paper or post cards, in order that the machine will properly operate upon mixed mail matter. It sometimes happens that a large quantity of thick mail matter, of substantially uniform thickness, has to be marked; and in such cases it would be Very desirable to have the impression roller adjusted so that it will be normally positioned to properly operate on such thick matter.

Nhen the impression roller is set to operate on thin sheets or cards, as it must be in marking promiscuous mail matter, and then a large quantity of thick mail matter, substantially uniform in thickness, has to be run through the machine, the impression roller is subjected to severe pounding by such mail matter which results in imperfect and irregular impressions, and rapid wear on the surface of the impression roller, and also causes wear on the die and type.

Heretofore it has been necessary in order to overcome this difficulty, when a large amount of thick mail matter has to be operated upon, to run the machine slowly, or to Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 17, 1918.

Renewed August 10, 1918. Serial No. 249,329.

reset the spring stop pin, which as the machlnes are now constructed is a troublesome operation, and the loss of time-required in making such adjustments is an important factor.

My present invention provides novel means whereby th limit of movement of the impression roller toward the die can be very quickly regulated to suit any thickness of mail up to the maximum which the machine is capable of operating upon. My invention also provides novel means for regulating the normal pressure of the spring carrying the impression roller.

I will explain the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodiment of the invention applied to a well known type of machine; and will enable others skilled in the art to adopt and use same with other types of machines. The essential features for which protection is desired are set forth in the claims.

In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of part of a mail marking machine showing my novel impression roller carrying and adjusting devices in plan.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view on line 2-2 Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the adjusting device detached.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view on the line H, Fig. 1.

Fig. 5. is an enlarged detailed section on line 55 Fig. 2.

In the drawings 1 designates the feed table; 1 the feed rolls; 1 the separating roll; 1 the forwarding rollers; 2 the printing roller; 2 the impression roller; 1 and 1 the receiving rollers; and 1 the receiving table; of a Universal stamp canceling machine; all said parts being mounted upon a suitable supporting table T, and being con: structecl, arranged and adapted to operate in the usual manner, and therefore require no detailed explanation.

The impression roller 2 lies opposite the printing die 2 and is rotatablymounted in a bracket 8 attached to the free end of a spring 3 in the usual manner. The other end of said spring however is attached to a casting 3* by means of a plate 3 and screws 3 Said casting is pivoted on the table T by a bolt 3 and has a projecting lug 3 which lies opposite an adjustable bolt 4 tapped through a stud e on table T, so that by adjusting this bolt the free end of the spring, carrying roller 2 can be pressed toward the die 2 with any desired pressure.

The movement of the impression roller 2 toward the die 2 is limited by a stop pin which may be of usual form, and as shown has an eceentrically disposed base portion 5 supported in a split-socket 6 in a bracket 6 attached to table T, as in the Universal machine. The stop pin 5 can be adjusted laterally as usual by turning the base 5, so that a limited adjustment between the impression roller and the die is provided by turning pin 5. This pin 5 may be rigidly secured when adjusted by any suitable means, as by clamping the split-socket 6 by a bolt 6 as indicated. In my invention the pin 5 might be permanently fixed but if a machine has such a stop pin I utilize such pin as a supportfor my adjusting device.

My novel impression roller adjusting device romprises a cam-sleeve 7 which may be rotatably mounted upon pin 5, as'shown, and the opening for the pin 5 in said cam sleeve is e'centric tothe axis of the sleeve. Said cam sleeve is preferably provided with a series of facets '7 which are successively farther removed from the axis of the pin 5 when the cam-sleeve is placed thereon. The cam-sleeve may be provided with means such as a handle 7 by which it can be readily turned, and may be held against casual dis placement by any desired means. Preferably a hand nut8 is screwed on'the threaded upper end of the pin 5 and a frictional washer 8 is interposed between the sleeve and nut, so as to hold the sleeve when adjusted.

lVhen the cam-sleeve is on the pin and adjusted so that the fa et '7 closest to the aXis of the pin 5 is next to the spring, the impression roller will then be in normal pesition'for operating upon indiscriminate mail matter. If it is desired to run a quan tity of substantially uniformly thick mail matter through the machine, the operator can readily set off the impression roller from the die to the desired extent, first loosening the nut 8 and then turning the sleeve 7 until the impression roller is separated from the die the desired distance; and when the sleeve is turned to the desired point it can be the impression roller can be obtained by properly adjusting the am sleeve.

The springs 3 will vary in strength but the normal pressure with which the impresesaoeo By turnin leeve 7 the impression roller g s can be quickly set to normally stand at any desired distance from the printing roller or die, to suit thick mail matter. The advantage of such adjustment of the impression roller is that the shocks of impact of mail against the impression roller are lessened as the mail matter does not have to move the impression roller so far out-ward as it would if said roller was permitted to have full inward swing toward the printing roller; and thick mail strikes the periphery of the impression roller a more glancing blow when it is set otf than it would if it was set close to the printing die; and the impression roller has less lateral movement between sue essive impressions if it is held away from the printing roller when operating upon thick mail than it could it it was allowed to move t'ully inward toward the printing roller as it mustdo when operating upon very thin mail.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In mail marking machine the combination of a printing member, an impression member, a spring supporting said impression member at its free end, a pivotal support for the other endof said spring, and means for adjusting the pivotal support to regulate the normal pressure ofthe impression member toward-the printing member.

In a mail marking machine the combination of a printing member, animpression member, a spring supporting the impression member at its free; end, av pivoted casting to which the other end'of said spring is attached, adjusting means engaging said casting at the side of the pivot opposite the impression member, whereby the pressure of theimpression member toward theprinting member is regulated.

3.'In a mail marking machine theocombination of a printing member, an impression'member, a spring supporting said impression member at its free end, a pivotal support for the other end of said spring, and means for adjusting the pivotal support to regulate the normal pressure of the impression member toward the printing member; with an adjustable cam engaging said spring to vary the limit of inward movement. of the impression member toward the printing member.

In a mail marking machine the combination of a printingmember, an impression member, a spring supporting the-impressionmemberat its free end, a'pivoted castingto which the'other end otsaid spring is attached, and adjusting means engaging said casting at the side ofthe pivot opposite the impression member whereby the pressure of the impression member toward the printing member is regulated; with a rotatable cam whereby the inward movement of the impression member toward the printing member is regulated.

5. In a mail marking machine the combination of a printing member, an impression member, a spring carrying said impression member and adapted to move same toward the printing member, and an adjustable cam located intermediate the support of the spring and the impression member and engaging the spring to vary the limit of such movement of the impression member.

6. In a mail marking machine the combination of a printing member, an impression member, a spring carrying the impression member, a pin adjacent the spring and located intermediate the support of the spring and the impression member and an adjustable cam member rotatably mounted on said pin, and adapted to engage the spring to vary the limit of the inward movement of the impression member.

7. In a mail marking machine the combination with a printing member, an impression member, a spring carrying the impression member, and a rotatab y adjustable cam member beside the spring located intermediate the support of the spring and the i impression member and having a plurality of facets any one of which may be positioned to engage the spring to limit the inward movement of the impression member.

8. In a mail marking machine the combination with a printing member, an impression member, a spring carrying the impression member,-a pin located intermediate the support of the spring and the impression member to limit the inward movement of the impression member, an adjustable cam rotatably mounted on said pin and adapted to engage the spring to vary the limit of inward movement of the impression member, and means for locking the cam in adjusted position, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I afiix my signature.

WILLIAM D. JONES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O. 

